


your heart is a masterpiece, and i'll keep it safe

by sincerelyjaime



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou are Bros, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Kozume Kenma is a Little Shit, Kuroo Tetsurou is a Good Significant Other, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Slice of Life, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, they have a cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:41:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27072151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sincerelyjaime/pseuds/sincerelyjaime
Summary: “So, tomorrow’s the day, yeah?” Bokuto asks Kuroo while he presses the weights above his head.Kuroo is standing above him, arms floating just underneath the bar in case he needs to step in and grab it. He smiles, his heart picking up for a fraction of a second at the thought of tomorrow. “Yeah! Tomorrow is the day. I’m gonna do it.”“Hey hey hey! You nervous at all?”“Nervous?” Kuroo was trying not to think too much about it. Outside of all of the time that he has spentplanningit, anyway. It’s fine. It’s gonna be totally chill andfine.or, Kuroo is an adorable mess, and sometimes it really doesn't matter how much time and effort you put into planning things. There is beauty to be found in simplicity.
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 11
Kudos: 193





	your heart is a masterpiece, and i'll keep it safe

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for Kenma's birthday even though it has nothing to do with birthdays at all.

“So, tomorrow’s the day, yeah?” Bokuto asks Kuroo while he presses the weights above his head.

Kuroo is standing above him, arms floating just underneath the bar in case he needs to step in and grab it. He smiles, his heart picking up for a fraction of a second at the thought of tomorrow. “Yeah! Tomorrow is the day. I’m gonna do it.”

“Hey hey hey! You nervous at all?” 

“Nervous?” Kuroo was trying not to think too much about it. Outside of the several days worth of time that he has spent  _ planning  _ it. It’s fine. It’s gonna be totally chill and  _ fine. _

Finishing the last rep, Bokuto places the bar back on the rack with a grunt. He sits up, turning around on the bench and resting his arms on the bar as he raises his eyebrows. “I’m just saying...I think I’d be a nervous wreck if I were proposing to Akaashi in less than 24 hours!

Kuroo drops onto a second bench beside the one Bokuto is occupying. He groans, head in his hands. “I’m so nervous, Bokuto. What if he says  _ no _ ?! Kenma has never  _ once _ talked about marriage. What if I do something stupid?” 

A whoosh of air wafts against his arms as Bokuto jumps to sit beside him, throwing an arm around his neck and pulling him close. “No way, man! Kenma’s crazy for you. You’re gonna do awesome.”

Kuroo groans again, head not leaving his hands as he speaks. “I don’t think I’ve seen Kenma go crazy about anything in his life. At least not outside of when he beats a hard level or I get him like...mochi or something.”

“That’s just because he doesn’t want you to know.” Bokuto lets Kuroo go and stands up, stretching his arms above his head with a sigh. “One time he was texting Akaashi, and he starting saying how cute it was when you--”

**_RING RING RING._ **

The tune of SexyBack sounds from Kuroo’s pocket, the special ringtone that he picked out for Kenma months ago and only kept because of how cute he looked when he complained about it. Pulling the phone from his pocket, Kuroo smiles at the picture of Kenma sleeping on the couch with Dango. “Hey, baby.”

“Come and get your son,” came Kenma’s soft voice.

“What? Why?”

“He knocked my pie on the floor.”

Kuroo laughs, a smile turning his lips up. “I know you just got done streaming. Did you even eat dinner?”

The silence on the other side of the phone is enough of an answer. “It was the last piece, Kuro…” 

"Alright, you big baby. Bokuto and I are just about done at the gym anyway. I'll see you soon. And I'm bringing you home some  _ actual _ food. You can't just live off of sweets, you know."

"Euck. You're the worst." Kenma gags quietly. "Shower before you leave. You probably smell." 

Kuroo can see Bokuto making faces out of the corner of his eye and elbows him in the ribs hard enough to knock him on his back. The other side of the line is quiet except for the quiet sound of Kenma breathing. He thinks, again, about tomorrow and all he has planned...what it might mean for their relationship. 

There is a wispy giggle from Kenma, and Kuroo's heart swells with affection. 

"What? You don't think my manly stench--"

"The. Worst. Bye, Kuro."

As the call disconnects, Kuroo looks down at Bokuto, who has taken his phone out and started taking pictures of himself. He's in the middle of making a particularly embarrassing face (one that he probably thinks is sexy, but actually just makes him look constipated), when Kuroo nudges him with his foot, prompting him to look up. "I'm gonna marry him, Bokuto…" Kuroo says in awe.

Bokuto hops up to his feet, pumping his fist up in the air. "Hell yeah you are!"

The few other people milling around the gym glance their way, but Kuroo is too preoccupied with thoughts of getting home to Kenma to be concerned with it. Bokuto offers him a hand, pulling him to his feet and they head towards the showers, going over Kuroo's plans in detail one last time.

Kuroo does stop at the store on the way home, picking up some vegetables and some real food he can cook up quickly (his concern for Kenma’s lack of care for anything resembling a well-rounded meal are  _ real _ ).

There’s a bakery a few blocks away from their house that he has to pass on his way home; they make Kenma’s  _ favorite _ apple pie, one with a crust that’s always perfectly golden and flaky and a filling that’s never too sweet. He steps inside the shop and takes one to go, the man behind the counter smiling as he hands it over and wishing him a good night and for Kuroo to send Kenma his well wishes. 

Though the chill in the air is strong, Kuroo feels warmed from the inside out with a pep in his step as the bags swing side to side gently as he treks home.

* * *

When Kuroo gets home, he finds himself bearing witness to the most adorable stand-off. 

Dango is on the floor in front of the couch, one paw raised to his mouth as he licks it--eyes honed in on Kenma. Kenma, on the other hand, is studiously ignoring the dark ball of fluff in front of him. "I think someone wants your attention."

"And what's stopping you from getting it?"

Kuroo sets his bags on the floor to be taken care of in a few minutes. "I was talking about Dango, but if you insist…" He crosses the living room and kneels on the couch with one leg, leaning into Kenma’s space and blocking his view of the game he is playing. "Hi," he whispers into the top of Kenma's head.

"You showered." Kenma’s arms wrap around Kuroo's back, nails dragging slightly along the fabric of his shirt. The pressure is light, but it feels incredible against his sore muscles. He groans softly as Kenma keeps up the motion, paying special attention to where he is the most tense.

In anticipation for what he has planned, he hit Bokuto up with a plea to help get him back into shape. The time he used to fill with volleyball was now replaced with lazing around the house after a long week at work. The extra softness of his body has him feeling self-conscious in a way that he's not used to, especially when compared to so many of his friends who are built like brick houses. 

"Mmm, yeah." Kuroo sighs, crawling more fully onto the couch when Kenma moves, leaning back against the arm rest and spreading his legs. He drops down burying his face in Kenma’s chest. "That's not all I did."

"That's always promising, coming from you."

"It's good. I promise." 

Kenma's chest vibrates with laughter, and it's a million times better up close and personal. Heart racing, Kuroo's fingers clench around the folds of Kenma’s sweater.  _ Please say yes tomorrow.  _

"I don't want whatever you grabbed from the store. I can see the bags from here--you went to that overpriced specialty store that tricks people into thinking healthy food is better."

"Aha!" Kuroo exclaims. "What you  _ don't  _ see is the bag behind that." He reaches up to blindly flick at Kenma’s face. "You're lucky you've had me around to keep you nourished occasionally."

"What? You find a big bag of spinach you wanna try to slip into smoothies without me noticing?" Kenma squeezes Kuroo against his chest, laughing again.

Sitting up, Kuroo breaks free from Kenma’s hold and towers over him. “That was  _ one _ time.” A wicked smile spreads across his lips, but Kenma is used to his antics so he doesn’t seem  _ too _ fazed...yet. “Besides, I’ll have you know that I stopped and picked up a special pie for  _ my _ cutie pie.”

“Kuro, shut  _ up. _ You’re so gross. Get away from me.” A leg kicks out at him, nearly knocking him to topple backwards on the couch. Kenma curls back into the corner of the couch, no doubt wanting to put distance between himself and the kissy lips Kuroo is making at him, but not wanting to actually move any more than he has to. 

With one leg keeping them apart and straining under Kuroo’s efforts, Kenma eventually gives in, letting Kuroo get his lips all over his face with minimal complaints. Kuroo backs away, finally grabbing the bags to get things started for dinner. One glance out the windows that line the majority of the other side of the living room tells Kuroo that it’s started raining, the wind picking up even more than earlier, and the chill from outside settling into the bones of their building.

He wags his finger at Kenma. “I’m serious, Kenma. No pie until  _ after _ dinner.” 

At his feet, Dango meows, standing up on his back legs to paw at the bag dangling in the air. “And none at all for you, you thief. Yeah, I heard all about it.”

Dango lopes back to the couch and hops up into Kenma’s lap. Out of the corner of his eye, Kuroo can see Kenma biting his lip to hold back his smile, fingers scratching under the cat’s chin.

The rain picks up outside, beating against the glass; Kuroo turns on music and dances around to it as he throws something together without much thought. After the first song, Kenma joins him, sitting on the floor of the kitchen and playing his game, singing along to the songs he knows and bobbing his head. He’s honestly in the way a little bit, but Kuroo manages to work around him without much incident.

He thinks of tomorrow. Thinks of the ring that’s been hidden away, weighing down his pockets as he tried to find the perfect time and place and how it was finally happening  _ tomorrow _ .

_ Please let me have this for the rest of my life. _

* * *

Later, Kuroo wakes up to a darkened room, the glow coming from the TV the only source of light. There is a quiet purring behind his head, and the flick of a tail every few seconds. Kenma’s body is a warm weight on top of his, his head pillowed on Kuroo’s chest. He caresses the back of his head, twining the soft strands around his fingers. 

On the floor beside them is an empty pie tin, the two forks they had used earlier lay inside it. His stomach still hurts a little, but it was too good to stop eating. Next to  _ that _ was a barely touched plate of rice and veggies, the fish Kuroo had cooked up merely picked at. “One of these days I’m going to get you to willingly eat something that doesn’t rot your teeth out, Kenma,” Kuroo whispers sleepily. 

“Kuro, shh. I’m sleeping.” Kenma nuzzles his face into Kuro’s chest, legs curling up even tighter as he pulls the blanket fully over his head.

It’s tempting to just stay there for the night, but he thinks of the fresh sheets he put on their bed that morning, and the warm blankets they kept in there, much better than the thin afghan they kept out here. “Alright. Up we go.” Kuroo sits up, scooping Kenma up with him and heading for their bedroom. Kenma doesn’t say anything, already fast asleep again. His arms are wrapped tightly around Kuroo’s neck and he’s murmuring something that doesn’t make sense, but Kuroo nods along anyway.

He’ll probably feel better tomorrow anyway if he gets a decent night’s sleep.

Once they are both settled in bed, resuming almost identical positions as earlier, Kuroo runs through his plan for tomorrow--the things he had dropped off with Yaku and Lev yesterday to set up in the morning, the outfit he pestered Suga to help him pick out last week (there’s a stack of index cards stuffed into the back pocket of the jeans just in case he forgets what he planned to say). He’d even taken the time to compile a list of all the different things he could say to get Kenma to agree to an outing that would last longer than their usual trip down to the convenience store for a caffeine kick and quick snack.

The call of sleep is too strong, and his eyes droop shut. With one last kiss to Kenma’s head and arms tightening around his body, sleep takes over him for the second time that night.

* * *

Kuroo wakes up several hours later alone in bed. It’s still kind of dark out, the sky overcast. He can hear Kenma moving around in another room of the house, a faucet turning on and off a couple times. As Kuroo lays there under the covers, not quite ready to leave the warm cocoon of their bed, he can hear bits and pieces of a one-sided conversation between Kenma and Dango. No actual words are making it to his ears; instead it’s just the rise and fall of Kenma’s voice, and it’s almost enough to lull him back to sleep.

Before that can happen, his phone vibrates from the table beside him, jolting him to full-consciousness. It’s a text from Bokuto asking him if he’s ready for the big day which is enough to have him bolting up in bed, eyes wide as a bubble of panic forms in his chest. Sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands, he groans quietly.

_ What am I  _ thinking _? _

Claws scratch against the wooden floors as Dango runs by, followed by a shouted complaint from Kenma. Apparently the two of them are already getting into it this morning. Kuroo laughs and pulls on a well-worn sweater--it’s one that Kenma had bought for him while he was on a trip with his family. It has a pun about electrons and Kuroo knows Kenma was proud of it when he handed him the gift bag as soon as he got home.

He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his joggers while he treks to the bathroom; Kenma can be heard moving around in there and humming to himself through the cracked door. 

When Kuroo reaches the door, he pushes it open with his foot and leans against the door jamb. His breath catches in his throat, and he’s barely able to stop himself from walking forward and wrapping his arms around the other man. Kenma is barefoot, one of Kuroo’s old volleyball hoodies pulled over his chest and dwarfing his already small frame. On top of his head, he’s wearing a fluffy headband with big, pink cat ears that’s pushing his hair away from his face.

It had been a joke on Kuroo’s end, something he thought he could get a rise out of Kenma with, but he had taken to them surprisingly well. Anytime he did an extensive skincare session, he’d pull them out, and it would seem today was one of those days, judging from the stray droplets of water along the neck of the hoodie. 

Kuroo bites back a smile, wishing he had thought to grab his phone before so he could snap a picture. He’ll just have to commit the adorable sight to memory.

Currently, Kenma is kneeling on the counter, as he leans in close to the mirror. There’s a tube of eyeliner held in one hand, while the other applies a line along his lid, dragging it to a point at the outer corner. “And what is my little kitten doing in here?” Kuroo asks.

To his credit, Kenma doesn’t jump. “Kuro,” Kenma whispers, distractedly. “What does it look like?”

Kuroo  _ does _ step forward then. Mindful of the object near Kenma’s eye, Kuroo wraps his arms around the other man and sticks his nose in his hair. There is a flowery scent coming from it, and he breaths it in. “Looks like what I want to wake up to for the rest of my life…” 

The words are out before Kuroo can stop them and he wishes there was a way to pull them back in. They aren’t conspicuous in and of themselves, but they hit a little too close to the truth that Kuroo plans on revealing in a few short hours.

Catching his eye in the mirror, Kenma raises one eyebrow. “You’re too easy to please, Kuro.” He laughs, placing the tube of liquid liner down on the counter, squeezing his hand around the arm that Kuroo has wrapped around his middle. He leans back, head tipping to fall against Kuroo’s shoulder, and places a small kiss on his jaw. “Morning, by the way.”

The affection that fills Kuroo’s chest is warm, his cheeks heating with it. “Hey, Kenma,” he tickles lightly at Kenma’s ribcage. “How about we go out for the day? I saw this cool orchard advertised the other day and--”

The rest of his sentence is cut off by Dango running into the room and jumping up on the counter beside them. His paws reach up to rest on Kuroo, and when Kuroo looks down, he’s at a loss for words. The cackle that leaves his lips is ugly, but Dango sure isn’t. “What  _ is _ this, Kenma?”

Dango meows loudly, clearly put off by the mad scientist get-up he had no doubt been forced into this morning. He’s wearing a harness that makes it look like he’s in a lab coat, two arms holding beakers. There’s even a little name tag hanging from the lapel of the coat.

There is a light pink coloring Kenma’s cheeks now. “Oh. This…” He scratches along Dango’s back. “Shoyo and I were out the other day, remember? We stopped at a store and I saw this and thought of you so. And it serves him  _ right _ for being such an ass yesterday, anyway…”

“Hey, turn around.” Kuroo’s hands shake as he lets Kenma turn around in his hold, sitting just to the left of the sink. He brings one of them up to cup Kenma’s cheek, taking in the way the dark lines around his eyes really make them pop.  _ This wasn’t the plan, but… _

“Kuro?” Kenma tilts his head, his own hand coming to rest against the back of Kuroo’s.

“I had this whole  _ thing _ planned for today. But, god, Kenma. Baby, I love you so much. How are you so damn cute? I want  _ this _ for the rest of my life. Fluffy cat ears and all. Please,” he leans in closer, eyes never once leaving Kenma’s, “will you marry me, kitten?”

Kuroo doesn’t cry when Kenma leans in to press their lips together in a deep kiss. He doesn’t cry, but it’s a close call. Kenma nods his head while they kiss, pulling away until there is the barest amount of space between them. Their lips still brush with every breath they take. “Kuro,” Kenma whispers. “Yeah, of course I’ll marry you, you giant  _ nerd _ .”

Kuroo’s heart soars and he scoops Kenma up into his arms, spinning him around the small bathroom. He  _ does _ cry then, but he also can’t stop the giggles that leave his lips, or all the kisses he presses across Kenma’s lips, cheeks, forehead.

With his legs wrapped around Kuroo’s waist, Kenma pushes his arms against his chest, trying to escape the barrage of kisses. “Kuro, stop! You’re the worst,” he says, but every time Kuroo catches his lips in a kiss he returns it fully, laughing along with the antics despite his protests. “You’re the worst, but I love you too.” 

And maybe it wasn’t the grand gesture that Kuroo had intended, but as he carries Kenma back to bed, a trail of clothes following in their wake, where he presses promises of forever in his skin, Kuroo can’t think of any proposal that ends with Kenma saying  _ yes _ as anything less than perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I hope you enjoyed this fluffy little thing. Kudos and comments keep me going <3 I'd love to hear what you thought!


End file.
